Festive Solihull triplets celebrate one year anniversary of returning home

Solihull Editorial 16th Dec, 2015Updated: 21st Oct, 2016

A SET of festive triplets born almost 100 miles away because there was ‘no room at the inn’ at Solihull Hospital have celebrated their first birthday – and are about to celebrate the anniversary arriving home from hospital just in time for Christmas.

Primrose, Sienna and Romeo were born on November 29, 2014 to parents Phil Lewis, 35, and Julie Montgomery, 30.

But the triplets – who were due to be delivered by Cesarean just a week before Christmas – had a dramatic start to life, arriving very early and having to be rushed to hospital in Liverpool by ambulance with the blue flashing lights on as there was no room at any local hospitals with adequate provision to handle an early triplet birth.

It has has been one shock to another for the family – starting off at their first ever scan which revealed their very own yuletide miracles to be.

Dad Phil told The Observer: “We were having a mini scan and he said ‘so here is number one’.

“As soon as he said that we knew straight away there was more than one – we were expecting him to say twins.

“Then he said ‘there is another one here’ and ‘another one here’. They were even looking for more.

“It was a shock to the system, we all cried out of joy.

“We have both always wanted children and had been trying for 18 months so to find out we were having triplets was amazing – a big shock – but amazing.”

Julie’s grandmother’s two sisters both had twins so the couple knew it ran in the family.

The mum-to-be had to go for check-ups nearly every week at Heartlands Hospital where they had planned to have a cesarean section on December 15.

But on November 28 Julie felt some movement.

The couple believed there was nothing to worry about but went the hospital to be safe, expecting to be sent home after five minutes.

The anxious parents were told there was no room at the hospital and the three babies may have to be sent to different hospitals across the country. In a desperate attempt to keep the new family together, calls were made to hospitals from everywhere between London and Scotland.

Eventually Julie was found a spot at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and was rushed up in an ambulance with flashing blue lights, taking only an hour to get there.

After arriving and being examined they were told they would have their ‘kids within the hour’ via cesarean as it would be dangerous for Julie to have them naturally.

The couple were also asked to take part in Channel 4’s One Born Every Minute programme, but due to their complicated situation they declined.

The three healthy bundles arrived within an hour-and-a-half.

Primrose weighed 3lbs and 10oz while Sienna was 4lbs and 7oz and Romeo was 4lb 8oz.

The babies spent ten days in Liverpool before they were transferred to Hereford County Hospital and eventually allowed home on December 19 – a year ago on Saturday.

“I remember all we wanted to do was to go home for Christmas,” Phil added.

“We were all so very happy to manage it, by the skin of our teeth the week before.

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